Abdullah al-Khalidi, Saudi Arabia's local deputy consul, was reportedly taken at gunpoint by unknown gunmen near his home in the port city of Aden, Bloomberg said, citing Yemini and Saudi sources. An investigation has been launched.

A Saudi foreign ministry spokesman said its representatives are in talks with "the highest security authority in Yemen" about the abduction, according to the BBC.

The motive behind the attack was not immediately clear, but Saudi Arabia played a critical role in negotiations that ended a nearly a year of anti-government protests with the resignation of longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.